Earlier today, Google announced that it would be offering uncensored search in simplified Chinese via the company's .com.hk branch. Specifically designed for users in Mainland China and delivered via servers in Hong Kong, the announcement signified the end of nearly three months of speculation about Google's threats to leave China.
Shortly after the announcement from Google, China's state news agency, Xinhua, issued a press release criticizing the search giant's decision. The release, titled "Google, don't politicize yourself," challenged Google's "groundless accusations" that the Chinese government supported hacking attempts against the search giant and reiterated earlier statements that Google is politicizing itself.
"Google, as the world's largest search engine, should understand an internationally accepted rule as well as other enterprises, if not better, that no matter in which country you conduct business, you have to obey the laws and regulations there.In fact, no country allows unrestricted flow on the Internet of pornographic, violent, gambling or superstitious content, or content on government subversion, ethnic separatism, religious extremism, racialism, terrorism and anti-foreign feelings."
The release goes on to say that the Chinese government regulates the Internet according to laws and that that is an internal affair.
"Regrettably, Google's recent behaviors show that the company not just aims at expanding business in China, but is playing an active role in exporting culture, value and ideas. It is unfair for Google to impose its own value and yardsticks on Internet regulation to China, which has its own time-honored tradition, culture and value."
The press release ends with yet another call for Google to not politicize itself and assures that "whether it leaves or not" the Chinese government will not change its Internet regulations.
"One company's ambition to change China's Internet rules and legal system will only prove to be ridiculous," reads the release from Xinhua. "Google should not continue to politicalize itself, as linking its withdrawal to political issues will lose Google's credibility among Chinese netizens. That, will make Google end up to be the biggest loser."
Check out the full release here.
